Over the years, I have designed experiments, analyzed data, and spoken to people, which have yielded a collection of factors that I suspect play a role in our response behavior.
1. We don’t have/take the time
That cat video is 20 seconds long. That Kamala Harris meme is less than 3. How does that compare to the 300 to 600 seconds of attentive reading time an article requires? And you haven’t even responded yet!
A professional article needs arguments and context to captivate, challenge and entice us into a substantive response that goes beyond ‘Oh, what a good article’ or ‘That depends on the situation’.
Don’t shorten, but make it look shorter
So I am not advocating shortening articles to meaningless summaries the length of a cat video. I am calling on all authors to write scannably and to use the possibilities of an online medium that you do not have in a paper magazine.
2. We think it’s too much hassle
Logging in, respecting the house rules, confirming your comment: on many sites there are quite a few technical thresholds between thinking up and publishing a reaction. These thresholds are intended to prevent fake and indecent reactions, but also deter people who did want to give a valuable reaction.
Don’t forget the CTA
Another factor that counts for the ‘hassle’ factor is that we are not always 2024 Vietnam Telegram Users Library by the author to respond. In other words: the call-to-reaction is missing. Of course, there are experts who claim that if your content is stimulating enough, the responses will flow automatically. In my eyes, that is the ideal world and/or the result of long-term experimentation and learning. In most cases, my advice is: if you want something, you have to ask for it.
3. We don’t dare to give our opinion
Who am I to judge this expert in my field?
Who is waiting for my opinion?
Next thing I know I’ll be talking nonsense and no one will take me seriously anymore!
Just like fat spiders, rickety kitchen steps and cramped elevators, reactionphobia is such a waste! Because as BM Leads author I am not (only) interested in the opinions of experts, but (also) in those of newcomers, critical users and outsiders. If you are or want to be in my field, I am curious about your opinions, tips, pushback and questions.
Also read: Read this article about a call to action that works
Go for the win-win
The first time you post publicly is scary, but after that it gets easier. Really.
Another nice thing: writing a comment is good for your own visibility and the development of your Recently Updated Bulk SMS UK and communication skills. Responding therefore provides value for the sender and the receiver!
4. We prefer to respond in the pub (and other places)
Responding on a forum where only people with much more experience than me come? No way!
I know that there are many people who (want to) share their opinion, but somewhere else. On social media ( I am less noticeable there ), in a personal message ( no one reads it then ), on the intranet ( discussing with colleagues is safer) or at the bar ( I find it easier to talk there ), for example.
